I am a bit of a reverb geek. Back in the day when a nice sounding
reverb was a Veblen good, I spent a lot of money to get a Lexicon
PCM-90. I always found its sound a little thin, albeit much better than
the low-cost reverbs I used up until that point.

Recently, my PCM-90 starting having hardware problems, so I
had to find a replacement for it. I found one: Sean Costello’s Valhalla
Vintage Verb (VVV) Right now, I am recording the rest of my album
using nothing but the “Smooth Random” algorithm in VVV.

I am very deliberately limiting my options, because I am becoming
as familiar as I can with this particular reverb algorithm, and because
it’s too easy to fall in to the trap of spending all my time designing
sounds instead of making music.

The big disadvantage of VVV is that I have to use a computer to have
it; this doesn’t mean I have to record “in the box.” I can hook up
the computer directly via USB to my Roland JP-08 or JD-Xi and have VVV
directly add its reverb to the output of the synthesizer (NOTE: To enable
this on the JD-Xi requires setting a hidden menu option), or I can hook
up my Scarlett 2i2
to my computer and have the computer act like a traditional reverb on
a send. The VVV is quite light on CPU; I can use it in 24/96 mode (to
decrease latency) on an eight-year-old Thinkpad I have in the studio
which I use as a dedicated reverb processor.

For the kind of space music I am making, there really is no such thing
as too much reverb. With the bigger washes, I really have to “print”
the reverb: Record the synthesizer to my multitrack with the reverb
already added to the sound, instead of adding the reverb when I mix the
sound. This way, the sound of the reverb directly affects the texture
of the sound and how I play it. This, in fact, is common practice using
a modern digital synth with a built-in reverb.

I personally find, listening to YouTube demos, that the Big Sky has
this way of imposing its sound on a synth texture in a manner that VVV
doesn’t. VVV can create a huge wash, but the wash generally preserves
the texture of the synth going through it.

Since I use VVV in its “1980s” mode, there is some noticeable
grunge in the reverb’s sound; I think the grunge adds a character to
my music so it doesn’t sound sterile, but it does sound a bit dirty. If
not desired, using the “Now” mode appears to reduce it.

Next time the reverb discussion comes up, I might descend in to a
discussion about how a digital reverb is made: All pass filters, Fourier
convolutions, Feedback delay networks, and the difference between an
early reflections processor, input difussor, and main reverb tank. But
that’s another discussion for another day.